Lapid accuses PM of playing politics with budget while ‘businesses are collapsing’

Government ‘does not know how to manage the war,’ opposition leader says as controversial state budget approved by cabinet. Netanyahu’s policy an ‘economic failure,’ says Liberman

Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

Head of opposition and head of the Yesh Atid party MK Yair Lapid leads a faction meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on January 15, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)
Head of opposition and head of the Yesh Atid party MK Yair Lapid leads a faction meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on January 15, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of mismanaging the war and the economy on Monday, decrying governmental waste hours before the cabinet approved 2024’s amended state budget.

“This government does not know how to manage the war, is pushing us deep into an economic crisis that hurts the pocket of every citizen, has entangled us in The Hague,” Lapid declared at the opening of his Yesh Atid party’s weekly faction meeting, referring to a South African motion accusing Israel of genocide before the International Court of Justice.

“They continue to transfer billions in coalition funds, are unwilling to close unnecessary ministries,” he continued, adding that he had spoken with National Unity party leader Benny Gantz, who left the opposition to join the war cabinet, and urged him to leave the coalition.

Lapid noted that only a week after Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli resigned from the Social Equality Ministry in an effort to limit government spending, May Golan, the minister in charge of the short-lived Advancement of Women’s Status Ministry, was appointed to take his place.

“All this is happening while reservists all over the country are financially collapsing, small businesses are collapsing,” Lapid charged.

Golan’s appointment will have little effect on the size of government, as the pending closure of the Advancement of Women’s Status Ministry will be offset by the transfer of the Authority for the Advancement of the Status of Women back to the Social Equality Ministry.

Minister May Golan at the Knesset in Jerusalem on January 3, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The opposition leader’s criticism of the cabinet shuffle was echoed by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, which told The Times of Israel that “we can see from these actions how much this ministry was unnecessary.”

“It was only established for political needs and the public was asked to pay for the political needs of the coalition. The public didn’t need this ministry and again they are still trying to trick us and play political games,” the watchdog group stated.

Lapid also denounced the lack of decorum within the government, declaring that “cabinet meetings continue to be a disgraceful scene of exchanges, of quarrels, of discussions that go nowhere.”

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reportedly stormed out of a war cabinet meeting on Saturday night due to an argument with Netanyahu, he was told by Prime Minister’s Office officials that his chief of staff, Shachar Katz, would not be allowed into the room.

Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman also lashed out at the “conduct of the government,” saying that “instead of broadcasting unity they broadcast division.”

“I don’t remember such an incident where the defense minister in the war cabinet abandons the discussion during a war,” he said.

Head of the Yisrael Beyteinu party MK Avigdor Liberman leads a faction meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on January 15, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

On Sunday evening, a similar incident occurred, when Education Minister Yoav Kisch, angry over proposed cuts to his ministry, walked out of a cabinet meeting called to discuss the 2024 amended budget.

Yet another cabinet meeting earlier this month erupted into a loud and angry dustup between ministers and IDF brass over the military’s plan to probe its own mistakes in the lead-up to Hamas’s devastating October 7 onslaught.

Like Lapid, Liberman harshly criticized the government budget, calling it “an economic failure” and accusing the government of abandoning minorities.

“At the moment, the budget planned for 2024 to strengthen the Druze community is zero shekels,” he said. “How dare they put such a budget up for a vote?”

The budget, which was approved by the cabinet several hours later, pairs an overall spending increase of around NIS 70 billion ($18.6 billion) with widespread budget cuts, in order to pay for the war in Gaza.

Six ministers voted against the budget, which has since garnered harsh criticism from members of Israel’s Arab minority.

Ra’am Chairman Mansour Abbas accused the government of abandoning the Arab community with its “mistaken” policy of cutting budgets, while Hadash-Ta’al chairman Ahmad Tibi argued that “the cuts in the state budget in general and the budgets of Arab society in particular will result in fatal damage to education, infrastructure, and people whose starting point is already lower than that of Jewish society.”

“We oppose the budget, and we oppose the cuts led by Finance Minister Smotrich, who is known for his anti-Arab policy, and is now using the state budget to take revenge on us,” Tibi stated.

While Abbas and Tibi accused Netanyahu of endangering Arab Israelis, Labor chief Merav Michaeli charged the prime minister with endangering Israelis held hostage by Hamas in order to protect his political career.

Ra’am party head MK Mansour Abbas leads a faction meeting, at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on October 16, 2023. (Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)

“At the beginning of the war, Netanyahu stated that the goals of the war are both to topple the Hamas government and to bring the hostages home,” she said at the beginning of  her party’s weekly faction meeting.

“One hundred and one days have passed and the truth must be told – Netanyahu has failed. Neither of these goals have been achieved. What is required to bring the hostages home now is an agreement that will include a cessation of hostilities. Every day that passes endangers our hostages. We must bring them home now,” added Michaeli.

“But the cessation of hostilities endangers the continuation of Netanyahu’s rule. His coalition wants to continue the fighting, and it is less urgent for them to return the hostages. So Netanyahu is endangering the hostages in order to preserve himself and his government. We must not allow that to happen.”

Most Popular
read more: